Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife. Ver. 1. _Now the men of Israel had sworn._] Rashly and uncharitably, out of rage rather than right zeal The fiery spirited man hath mettle in him, but base and reprobate, that never... [ Continue Reading ]
And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore; Ver. 2. _And the people came to the house of God._] That is, To Shiloh, for that was now their Bethel, there to praise God for their recent ctory; and to seek direction what to... [ Continue Reading ]
And said, O LORD God of Israel, why is this come to pass in Israel, that there should be to day one tribe lacking in Israel? Ver. 3. _Why is this come to pass in Israel?_] _q.d., _ Alas, Lord, that it should be so! Oh, show us some expedient for prevention of such a mischief. Oh, the sad effects of... [ Continue Reading ]
And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people rose early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Ver. 4. _And built there an altar._] Either for a monument and memorial of the victory, _a_ as Jos 8:30 Judges 6:24, or else by reason of the multitude of their... [ Continue Reading ]
And the children of Israel said, Who [is there] among all the tribes of Israel that came not up with the congregation unto the LORD? For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up to the LORD to Mizpeh, saying, He shall surely be put to death. Ver. 5. _Who is there among all the tri... [ Continue Reading ]
And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day. Ver. 6. _And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin._] But why did they not repent of their unlawful oath, which now they might as lawfully have broken? Howsoev... [ Continue Reading ]
How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them of our daughters to wives? Ver. 7. _How shall we do for wives? &c._] All this difficulty, say our interpreters, did arise from their gross ignorance in those dark times: for they had no other... [ Continue Reading ]
And they said, What one [is there] of the tribes of Israel that came not up to Mizpeh to the LORD? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabeshgilead to the assembly. Ver. 8. _There came none to the camp from Jabeshgilead._] They came not up to help the Lord, as Judges 5:23; they contribute... [ Continue Reading ]
For the people were numbered, and, behold, [there were] none of the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead there. Ver. 9. _For the people were numbered, and, behold, &c._] God will one day send out summonses for sleepers; he will make strict inquisition for such as affect an indifferency and neutrality in rel... [ Continue Reading ]
And the congregation sent thither twelve thousand men of the valiantest, and commanded them, saying, Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead with the edge of the sword, with the women and the children. Ver. 10. _Of the valiantest._] Heb., Of the sons of valour; such as were those _duo fulmina... [ Continue Reading ]
And this [is] the thing that ye shall do, Ye shall utterly destroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by man. Ver. 11. _Ye shall utterly destroy every male._] This also was a barbarous and bloody decree, Eze 18:20 not unlike Draco's laws, whereof Aristotle giveth this commendation, that the... [ Continue Reading ]
And they found among the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead four hundred young virgins, that had known no man by lying with any male: and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which [is] in the land of Canaan. Ver. 12. _That had known no man by lying with any male._] At least that any one else knew o... [ Continue Reading ]
And the whole congregation sent [some] to speak to the children of Benjamin that [were] in the rock Rimmon, and to call peaceably unto them. Ver. 13. _And to call peaceably unto them._] God retaineth not his anger forever; - he here graciously provideth for these sinners against their own souls, th... [ Continue Reading ]
And Benjamin came again at that time; and they gave them wives which they had saved alive of the women of Jabeshgilead: and yet so they sufficed them not. Ver. 14. _And Benjamin came again at that time._] They believed their brethren, and obeyed their voice. Had they done so at first, and not tried... [ Continue Reading ]
And the people repented them for Benjamin, because that the LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel. Ver. 15. _And the people repented them for Benjamin._] Being very sorry that they were constrained to execute justice so sharply. _Non nisi coactus,_ said that Emperor, when he passed sentenc... [ Continue Reading ]
Then the elders of the congregation said, How shall we do for wives for them that remain, seeing the women are destroyed out of Benjamin? Ver. 16. _How shall we do for wives? &c._] Now all their care was for a recruit for Benjamin. A public person should be public spirited; and as Cato did, _Toti g... [ Continue Reading ]
And they said, [There must be] an inheritance for them that be escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Israel. Ver. 17. _There must be an inheritance for them that be escaped._] Else our state will be dismembered. But why was not this thought of before now? Anger is an evil counse... [ Continue Reading ]
Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters: for the children of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed [be] he that giveth a wife to Benjamin. Ver. 18. _Howbeit we may not give them wives of our daughters._] And unless those daughters were given them by their parents, they would not marry with... [ Continue Reading ]
Then they said, Behold, [there is] a feast of the LORD in Shiloh yearly [in a place] which [is] on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah. Ver. 19. _Behold, there is a feast of the Lord in Shiloh._] What feast this... [ Continue Reading ]
Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards; Ver. 20. _Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin._] Who should first have examined the commands of their superiors, before they had obeyed them. _Obediemus Artridis honesta mandantibus,_ saith... [ Continue Reading ]
_And see, and, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin._ Ver. 21. _If the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances._] This was not a mixed da... [ Continue Reading ]
And it shall be, when their fathers or their brethren come unto us to complain, that we will say unto them, Be favourable unto them for our sakes: because we reserved not to each man his wife in the war: for ye did not give unto them at this time, [that] ye should be guilty. Ver. 22. _Come unto us... [ Continue Reading ]
_And the children of Benjamin did so, and took [them] wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught: and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and repaired the cities, and dwelt in them._ Ver. 23. _And took them wives._] Without consent of parents or parties, to t... [ Continue Reading ]
And the children of Israel departed thence at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from thence every man to his inheritance. Ver. 24. _And the children of Israel departed._] To their tribes by troops, to their families and several possessions man by man; but not wi... [ Continue Reading ]
In those days [there was] no king in Israel: every man did [that which was] right in his own eyes. Ver. 25. _In those days, &c._] See Judges 17:6 . _ Every man did that which was right._] _Quod sibi placebat, id solebat facere._ _a_ Had the Israelites been, as some say the Thracians were, αυτονομο... [ Continue Reading ]